Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said India faced a huge security risk because of the strategic blunder by the Narendra Modi government of bringing China and Pakistan together.

“India’s single biggest strategic goal was to keep Pakistan and China separate. You brought them together,” Rahul told the government while participating in the Lok Sabha debate on the motion of thanks to the President’s address.

Rahul contended that the threat became serious because India had been considerably weakened by the RSS-BJP’s divisive politics, and the enemies understood the country’s vulnerabilities.

“You will be responsible,” he cautioned the government while entreating the Prime Minister to pay heed to what the Congress, which had decades of experience in diplomacy and statecraft, said and repair the bonding between the people of the country.

Striking a note of alarm, the Congress MP said: “The RSS-BJP are playing with the foundations of this country. They have weakened the foundations of the country. They have weakened the links between the people. Ask yourself why there were no guests for Republic Day. India is completely isolated and surrounded.”

Amidst disturbances created by BJP members, Rahul said: “We are surrounded in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Burma, Pakistan, China. The opponents understand our position. They know conversations between our people are not taking place. The Chinese have a clear-cut plan. They are very clear about what they want to do. India’s single biggest strategic goal was to keep Pakistan and China separate. You brought them together. Don’t underestimate the force that is standing in front of us. This is the single biggest crime you have committed against the people of India.”

Explaining his point, Rahul said: “China has a plan. Foundations of that plan were laid in Doklam and Ladakh. This is very, very serious for the Indian nation. We have made huge strategic mistakes in Jammu and Kashmir and in our foreign policy. Correct these mistakes. The two fronts (of Pakistan and China) are now a unified front. The Chinese and Pakistanis are planning. Look at the weapons they are buying. Look at what they are talking.”

He added: “We have committed a massive blunder. We need to be absolutely sure that we can defend ourselves against the Chinese. You will be responsible. Listen to what we say. We have experience, we understand. Use us. The nation is at risk from outside and inside. It is a very dangerous place to be in. I don’t like it, where my beloved country is standing. It frightens me. You are putting this nation at a huge risk.”

Later, with the Prime Minister rarely mentioning China these days, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar tweeted: “Perhaps, some history lessons are in order: In 1963, Pakistan illegally handed over the Shaksgam valley to China. China built the Karakoram highway through PoK in the 1970s. From the 1970s, the two countries also had close nuclear collaboration. In 2013, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor started. So, ask yourself: were China and Pakistan distant then?’’

The minister took a swipe at Rahul’s foreign visits while responding to the charge that the Modi government could not get a foreign guest for the Republic Day Parade. “Those who live in India know we were in the midst of a corona wave. The 5 Central Asian Presidents, who were to come, did hold a virtual summit on Jan 27. Did Rahul Gandhi miss that as well?”